


Monkey's Paw (Trilogy)

by MaurLin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Angst, But much later, Gen, Hawkmoth, Hawkmoth wins (or does he?), Identity Reveal, Minor Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Post-Episode: s03 La Marionnettiste 2 | The Puppeteer 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-12-24 06:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21094724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaurLin/pseuds/MaurLin
Summary: Hawkmoth gets what he wants- and discovers the price.Based off a live Discord chat idea. Thanks Lyss!





	1. Monkey's Paw

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Hawkmoth finally had what he wanted. His latest akuma had been remarkably successful; if not in bringing the miraculous to him, then in bringing the holders into his clutches. Both Ladybug and Cat Noir were injured and helpless in front of him; there was no possible chance of their stopping him. Best of all, they had chosen to confront him on his home ground; no one else knew they were here in the Agreste mansion. Soon his Emilie would be here with him again…

Ladybug raised her head slowly, her eyes fogged with pain. She gasped, “It won’t work…whatever you’re doing…” She coughed wetly; a bit of blood came from her lips. “The universe…demands balance…if you save a life…someone else will die…” Her head dropped to the ground. “You can’t…choose what…” She seemed to have lost the ability to say more; though her mouth moved, no more sound came out. As her body relaxed completely, she stopped breathing. Cat Noir was lying next to her face down, unconscious and bleeding; he wouldn’t last long.

Hawkmoth supposed he should feel badly for killing two teenagers, but since he was going to change the past, it wouldn’t matter- they would be alive, since he would no longer have a reason to hunt their miraculous. If they even received them. But Emilie would be here; their family would be complete again.

He stepped over and pulled the earrings off the dead girl’s body; she shimmered with magic, and became a young girl with black hair. As he removed Cat Noir’s ring, the green crackling energy revealed a young blond boy; he looked vaguely familiar from the back, but Hawkmoth had no intention of dwelling on it. He could not delay bringing his beloved Emilie back, not for a second.

Hawkmoth detransformed, and Gabriel placed his fingers in the hidden catches that triggered the elevator to Emilie’s grotto. He wanted to do this close to her, to see her return to him. That would make all of this worth it.

He placed the earrings in his ears (the piercing had been done in his youth, but he hadn’t worn earrings of any kind in a long time; it hurt to put them in), and the ring on his left hand, next to his wedding band. He whispered the words he had managed to translate, and the power of both miraculous surged into him at once, making it difficult to breathe.

He formed his wish in his mind, concentrating on it with all his might amid the storm of energy.  _ I wish that my Emilie will be alive and well. Let her be alive and healthy again… _

And the world changed…

Gabriel was standing in his office. No bodies on the floor, no signs of the fight, nothing. He looked at his hand; the cat miraculous was gone. A touch to his ears showed that the ladybug miraculous had vanished too.

There were some changes; there was a pile of papers on his desk. They looked like legal documents; probably a contract for something or other. Gabriel glanced at his workstation. The clock in the corner of the screen told him the date. It was the same day; no time had passed for him. His heart dropped; had he failed?

A knock on the door told him there was someone outside. “Come in,” he said; it must be Nathalie.

Except it wasn’t. A young, dark-haired man came in and began to speak. “Mr. Agreste, there is-“

“Who are you?” Gabriel asked brusquely. This was no one he knew!

“I-I’m your personal assistant, Mr. Agreste,” came the stunned reply. “Donovan.” The young man shook his head, and tried to speak again. “Mr. Agreste, there’s something-“

“My assistant’s name is Nathalie. Where is she?” This intruder had better have a reasonable answer for him.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about, sir. I’ve been your assistant for nearly two years.”

Now he remembered- he had hired Nathalie shortly after the terrible incident that took Emilie from him, when it was clear that Adrien needed more attention than he had time to give while researching how to bring her back. She had been one of two candidates; a man named Donovan was the other. Obviously, since he no longer needed help with Adrien, he had gone with the other choice.

A pang of regret hit him for a second; he had grown fond of Nathalie and appreciated her unwavering loyalty to his mission. He hoped that, whatever she was doing now, she was well.

“Sir,” the young man said, “there’s a situation that urgently needs your attention.”

“Regarding?” Gabriel said coldly. He didn’t want to hear anything to do with the business right now- not after all that had happened. All he wanted was to go find Emilie and start making up for lost time with her. Of course, from her perspective, no time had been lost at all, but Gabriel remembered, and realized just how precious every second was.

“Y-Your wife and son,” Donovan said, clearly unnerved at Gabriel’s attitude.

“What?!” He pushed past the young man. “Where are they?”

He didn’t have to go far to find out. The front door was open; he went through it to find that the gates were open as well. A large moving van had backed into the entrance, taking up most of the space. Two burly men were loading boxes into the truck; four more were moving what looked like a white coffin with a clear lid and a bunch of equipment to be loaded as well. Gabriel had a brief glimpse of blond hair through the lid of the coffin. “Emilie!” he shouted, fear clutching at his chest as he ran toward the men.

“Gabriel,” came a voice from the side. Turning, he saw his wife, standing by the steps and wearing a navy trench coat and tall boots. She was so beautiful; he could hardly believe it. The wish had worked!

He hurried over to embrace his wife. “Everything will be all right now,” he whispered; he was certain of it. He pulled back to gaze at her lovely face.

Emilie stood stiffly, neither returning his embrace nor looking at him. “Gabriel…I’m leaving you,” she stated. She gestured to the van. “And I’m taking Adrien with me.”

Gabriel blinked and stepped back a pace. “Wh-what? What are you saying?” The elation he had just felt shifted into dread.

Now she looked at him- and the anger and contempt in her eyes froze him to the spot. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” she asked, her voice soft yet fierce.

“I- don’t know what-“ he began to say. His mind was spinning; what was happening?

Emilie’s eyes filled with tears, although she was still just as angry. “I should be the one in that coffin- not Adrien! Not our son!”

Gabriel’s heart hammered in his chest. No- this couldn’t be! He whipped around to look at the sarcophagus again.

The strong men were moving the coffin onto a platform to lift it into the truck. As it tilted up on one end, he saw what was inside through the lid- the body of his son. “No…” he whispered. “How?” This wasn’t right- Emilie was back, they should be a family again, this couldn’t be… He fumbled at his throat for the butterfly miraculous, but found nothing.

“Looking for this?” Emilie, asked, her voice filled with bitterness. Turning back to her, he saw both the butterfly and peacock miraculous in her hand. “I’ll be returning these to a Guardian- if I can find one. Just to be certain you don’t ever try this again.”

She put the jewelry inside her coat, and took one step towards Gabriel. “You used these to get the cat and ladybug miraculous, so you could wish me alive again,” she seethed under her breath. “But you didn’t know- because you didn’t want to know- that wishes come with a price. If someone lives, someone else dies- and the wisher doesn’t get to choose who pays that price. But whoever it is has to be of equal value to the wisher, to maintain balance.” Her eyes were blazing now, tears making tracks down her cheeks. “Did you ever think I would agree to trade my son’s life for my own?!?”

Emilie turned away, and headed for the gate. A silver car was parked outside, with a driver. Gabriel ran after her and caught her shoulder. “Please…Emilie…I can make this right,” he pleaded.

“No. You can’t.” Emilie looked over her shoulder at him, then down at the hand holding her back. “Let me go, Gabriel. But then,” her mouth twisted into something grimmer than a smile, “you never could- and that’s the problem.” She jerked away, walked through the gates, and entered the silver car.

The back of the truck slammed shut, and the engine started. Numb, Gabriel watched as his family- his life- left him behind; first the truck, and then the car. The gates swung shut with a clang.

He stumbled back into the house, tears running unnoticed down his face. He turned to his office, walking inside, and shut the door.

Gabriel braced his hands on his desk, shaking. The documents he had ignored earlier came into focus in his vision- they weren’t contracts after all.

They were a divorce decree.

He swept all the pages off the table in a rage, and banged his fists on the desk. Gabriel couldn’t breathe; slowly, he managed one shuddering breath, then another. He looked at the painting on the wall, needing to see Emilie’s face again.

He hadn’t noticed before- the picture on the wall had changed. Instead of a stylized portrait of Emilie with eyes all over (like the peacock she had been), there was a similar one of Adrien. Gabriel gazed at it for a long time, before reaching for the familiar spots where the elevator controls should have been.

They were still there; he rode the elevator down to the conservatory. Butterflies fluttered around him as he stepped forward and fell to his knees, weeping.

A voice echoed around him; he saw the familiar butterfly energy appear around his face, and began to see through another person’s eyes.  _ “Aww…poor Hawkmoth. What’s the matter- didn’t you get your wish?”  _

The tone of the voice was far less sympathetic than the words- it was mocking him, mocking his grief. His anger flared. “How dare you? How dare you say such things to me?”

The voice oozed false innocence.  _ “Me? All I did was show you your fondest wish. That’s the power you gave me, after all.”  _ It giggled.  _ “Not my fault if you didn’t like what you saw.” _

He could see through the akuma’s eyes now; she appeared to be sitting in front of a mirror in the dark, looking at herself. He could see the reflection of the butterfly energy surrounding her face; it made her features difficult to distinguish. But the deep blue eyes were easy to see, and they were filled with a hard anger combined with a twisted humor that both infuriated and frightened him.

He looked down at himself briefly; he was Hawkmoth again, butterfly pin and all. He remembered the last akuma he created- her power was to trap people by making them see their deepest desire, leaving them without the ability to tell whether the dream was real. He had intended for her to use it on Ladybug and Cat Noir, allowing her to take their miraculous with ease- he never thought she would (or  _ could!) _ turn it against him!

“That wasn’t real- that was a dream,” he said flatly. “None of that happened; none of it  _ will _ happen!”

_ “Oh yes, it would. Seems I know a bit more about miraculous wishes than you do,” _ the voice continued with a false serenity.  _ “Any wish that changes the world, comes with a price and a consequence. The price is what you have to pay to get your wish; the consequence is what happens because you get it. And the more selfish the wish, the worse both are.” _

The voice hardened, and the blue eyes in the mirror grew darker. _ “And you’ve been a very selfish boy, haven’t you, Hawkdaddy? How many people lose loved ones every day? How many of those people wish to have them back? But you- you terrorize a city, because somehow, you  _ _ deserve _ _ something no one else gets- a second chance to be with the one you... love.”  _ The voice grew softer, and more menacing- quite a trick, for a young girl’s voice.  _ “How could you even think this would end well?” _

Hawkmoth knew she was right, deep in his heart, but he couldn’t admit it, even to himself. His rage flared again. “You will regret ever turning against me- I will take back your powers!”

_ “Of course you will,”  _ the voice said, sounding bored. _ “But even if you didn’t, Cat Noir is here, and Ladybug can’t be far away. He’ll destroy the infected object, she’ll purify the butterfly, and everything will go back to normal. You may even forget all this, and continue being selfishly **stupid**, since she reverses what akumas do.” _ A bitter disgust filled the voice.  _ “Well, at least I got to give my worst enemies what they wanted most. Whether they liked it or not. I guess that’s something.” _

Through the akuma’s eyes, Hawkmoth could see her dangling a string of glittering black beads from her uplifted hand.  _ “Here, kitty, kitty,”  _ she cooed.  _ “Destroy the nice bracelet.” _

Faintly, he thought he heard “Cataclysm!” A black hand came into the akuma’s view and touched the beads. The bracelet dissolved into dust, and a black-and-purple butterfly appeared.

As the view faded from the akuma’s eyes, Hawkmoth caught a glimpse of the girl losing his power in the mirror. It couldn’t be- but it was.

_ Ladybug. _


	2. Back of the Paw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat Noir gets notified of the latest akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Cat Noir rushed over the rooftops, heading for Marinette’s house. His heart thudded in his chest with every step; he only hoped he could get there in time.

_ Not Ladybug, _ he pleaded to whatever being might be listening.  _ Please, not her… _

Adrien had been stuck in his room- again. He supposed his dad’s obsession with keeping him safe came from whatever had happened to his mother, but what did that have to do with him? Maybe if he knew what had happened, he could reassure his dad and get the noose loosened a little. All he knew was that his father, who had always been a little cool and distant, suddenly became even more so while simultaneously restricting Adrien’s already sheltered life.

Not that it was entirely bad. Anything he wanted (well, anything his dad determined that he needed) was brought to him. The latest video games, the rock-climbing wall in his room, the entertainment center, his Chinese tutor- even the piano with its hideaway nook in the floor. Now that he thought about it, all of it was designed to keep him safe.

And contained. Adrien knew there was a world of people out there; being stuck in a room alone felt uncomfortably like being stuck in a coffin. Isolated. Lonely. No amount of video games or climbing the walls could hold that feeling away forever.

So when the cat miraculous showed up, he had grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Now, between school and being a superhero, he felt like he could breathe- enough to accept any other restrictions his dad put on him for now. After all, he could always just go out the window.

He was writing a report for history class when an alert popped up on the computer. He had the Ladyblog pulled up in a separate window, and it flashed an update. He clicked on the page, and saw a message:

** _Cat Noir, if you can see this, contact me right away!!!- Alya_ **

Whatever it was, it must be urgent, and have to do with an akuma. But why wouldn’t she just say what the problem was? It wasn’t like Alya not to post whatever she could get- she had even streamed her own kidnapping when Pharaoh had taken her. Adrien found Plagg in the middle of a piece of camembert (so where else would he be?), transformed, and left through the bedroom window.

Once out of sight of the mansion, he stopped on a convenient rooftop for a call. Fortunately, he could look up Alya’s number quickly.

She picked up on the first ring.  _ “Cat Noir? Is that you?” _ she whispered.

“Alya? What’s wrong?”

_ “Shhh…keep your voice down.” _ There was a short pause _ . “There’s an akuma at Marinette’s house. In her room. We were having a sleepover to study-“ _

“Are you all right?” Cat Noir interrupted. “Is Marinette’s family-“

_ “We’re all fine- at least, I think Marinette is, and her family; they’re all downstairs. Marinette was going to the bakery for something; she’s not back. But Cat Noir- I think- that this akuma is- or  _ _ was _ _ \- Ladybug.” _

He jumped, and nearly lost his footing on the steep roof. “What!” he exclaimed, louder than he meant to. His heart froze.

_ “SHHH!” _

“Sorry.”

_ “Yeah, I think it is! Get your tail over here NOW!” _

A second voice began in the background. The tone was silky with menace, but it definitely sounded like Ladybug.  _ “I’m not deaf, Alya. Mad, yes. But not deaf.” _

Cat Noir’s adrenaline kicked in. “I’m coming; can I get through the roof, or should I come through the house? Say the opposite, so she doesn’t hear.”

_ “The house.”  _ Alya was talking even softer.

“Got it. Hang in there, Alya.” _ Please, no… _

Cat Noir landed as quietly as he could on Marinette’s balcony. The skylight was wide open.

Silently he crawled toward the opening. He couldn’t see any light in the room; he tumbled over the edge and landed softly on the bed.

With his kitty night-sight, the room didn’t have to be lit for him to see- and it was just as well. The only light came from Alya’s phone as she sat in the corner; she was recording the girl sitting in a chair in front of the vanity.

The girl certainly looked a lot like Ladybug, with the hair ribbons and pigtails. She had a skintight outfit like hers, too, although the details were difficult to make out in the dark. From the light of the camera-phone, the surface of the suit looked like swirled iridescent light blues, purples and greens. The girl had a mask as well, like Ladybug’s, but with a slight butterfly shape to it.

All the girl was doing was sitting cross-legged on the chair and looking toward the mirror- toward it, not in it, because her eyes were closed. As Cat Noir continued to ease down the stairs as quietly as he could, he noticed that the girl paid absolutely no attention to him. So, she either couldn’t hear him, or didn’t care if he caught her.  _ Or she’s got an underhanded plan… _

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he inched across the floor to Alya. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at him. “She’s done nothing but sit there,” she whispered as soon as he was next to her. “For about fifteen minutes. I don’t know what her powers are, but she’s the one who asked me to contact you.” Alya looked guilty. “Not Ladybug. Just you.”

“Still not deaf, Alya,” said the girl, though her eyes remained shut. Her voice was poisoned honey. “Hello, kitty. Before you ask, I  was  Ladybug once, but not anymore. You can call me Wish.”

Cat Noir raised his head; his heart pounded in his chest. Since this- Wish- had addressed him directly, he was going to be just as direct. “I’m here, like you asked. Why not let Alya go?”

“What, and have her miss all the fun for her blog? Not a chance, kitty-cat. Besides, it’s not like she’s going to be hurt.” The silky voice hardened. “I’m saving that for my enemies.”

“And who are your enemies?” If he had to leave and rescue someone, this could get awkward.

“Well, Hawkmoth mostly. But one other person, too.” She smiled, if something so thin could be called a smile. “I know what you’re going to ask next; my power is to show people their fondest dream. And I’m doing that right now, so I’m a bit busy. Just wait a while, and I’ll come back to you.”

Cat Noir sat on his heels next to Alya. There were so many questions running through his head; how had she gotten akumatized? What did she mean when she said she was hurting her enemies? And if it was by showing them their fondest dream, how could that hurt?

He looked all over the girl- Wish- for the akumatized object. The suit didn’t hide anything, but Wish didn’t have Ladybug’s yoyo or anything else as far as he could tell. The only possibility was whatever she might be holding in one of her clenched fists.

They stayed like that for five more minutes by Alya’s phone clock- an eternity for Cat Noir’s nerves. Then Wish opened her eyes to gaze into the mirror. The butterfly energy appeared in front of her face.

And Wish began to talk. Cat Noir’s mouth dropped open; it was the most remarkable one-sided conversation he’d ever heard out of an akumatized victim. From the sound of it, Wish had used her power on Hawkmoth himself- she had showed him his fondest dream. Although, from what she said, Hawkmoth’s wish hadn’t gone the way he wanted…

Evidently Hawkmoth threatened to take Wish’s powers; but she had an answer for that, too. She held up a string of oddly-shaped beads. The black facets glinted in the lights from the phone and the butterfly energy. To Cat Noir, they looked vaguely familiar… “Here, kitty, kitty. Destroy the nice bracelet.”

Cat Noir hesitated only for a split second. With a cry of “Cataclysm!”, he came forward and touched the string of beads. As they crumbled, a black butterfly fluttered out.

Wish sighed, and slumped in the chair. The dark, bubbling energy surged, then vanished, leaving behind a very confused Ladybug. “Cat Noir? Is that you?” she asked, squinting in the dark. Alya flicked on the light.

“No time, milady! The akuma!” Cat Noir pointed to the butterfly heading toward the open trap door.

Ladybug might have been confused, but her reflexes were still sharp. She grabbed the yoyo at her waist and spun it quickly to catch the akuma. Releasing it into the air, she turned to Cat Noir.

“Cat Noir? What happened?” Her eyes were full of apprehension. “How did I get here?”

Alya came out of the corner. “You got akumatized somehow. Do you remember?”

Ladybug shook her head. “No. Why?” She shrank in on herself.

“We may never know that now, if you don’t know.” Cat Noir looked around the room as his miraculous let out a beep. “And I don’t think I have time to explain. Alya, can you give Ladybug the details?”

“Sure. As soon as I check downstairs; Marinette and her family should be okay, but I haven’t heard from them in a while.”

Ladybug shook her head. “That reminds me; I should be somewhere. I need to go; can I catch up later?” At Alya’s nod, she headed for the stairs to the bed and the balcony; Cat Noir was only a step behind her.

On the balcony, Ladybug held Cat Noir back for a second. “Just tell me this- did I hurt anyone?” Her eyes showed her fear.

Cat Noir shrugged. “You did something to Hawkmoth for sure, and I think maybe one other person. But all they did was dream.” He smiled. “I’m sure they’re fine now.”

Ladybug didn’t seem happy, but she slung her yoyo and swung away. Cat Noir headed home.

As he approached the mansion, Cat Noir spotted an unusual sight through the window- his father entering his bedroom. He changed routes, landing into the bathroom just in time to hear his father call for him.

“Be out in a minute!” he called out as his miraculous let out a final warning beep and he detransformed. He hesitated for a few seconds before going back into his room.

His father seemed upset about something- he barely allowed Adrien to start a greeting before enveloping him in a tight hug. Adrien was mystified, but grateful; his dad didn’t show affection often enough for him to refuse it when it came. He hugged his dad back with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re here, son,” Gabriel whispered. “I’m glad you’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And what of the other victim's perspective? You'll see...
> 
> Thank you for all the feedback. It is much appreciated!
> 
> And please continue the comments. I always like to hear what you think!


	3. Wish Fulfillment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wish is only going after her enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

_ How could I have been so stupid? _ I thought.

Right after the wax museum visit, Adrien and I had agreed to not play jokes on each other again. Well, mine wasn’t really a joke, but there’s no way I could admit that. He doesn’t feel the same way about me that I do about him; I’ve known that for a while. He’d have been confused, and- and it would just hurt too much.

But I should’ve known I’d get hurt anyway. He told me he was bad at jokes- that the girl he loves said so all the time.

It was like a kick to the gut.  _ The girl he loves. _ The one who isn’t me.

And I know, I know- maybe he could change his mind. After all, it doesn’t sound like she appreciates Adrien the way I do. Even Tikki said that there was hope- not in so many words, but she wasn’t discouraging, either.

At least, that’s what my head keeps saying. My heart isn’t convinced…

Alya came over for a study session cleverly disguised as a sleepover. We do have a test coming up; a major one for Ms. Mendeleiev. And science isn’t really my strong point.

But it was pretty clear that Alya’s real reason for coming over was to discuss the museum trip- and what happened in the car with me and Adrien afterwards.

“Girl, you’ve got to tell me! I saw how you two were looking at each other- what happened?”

“Nothing…” I said feebly.

Alya gave me the  _ look _ . “Nothing? Really?”

“Yeah, nothing…” I turned my head away to hide my eyes. Despite my resolve, my lower lip began to tremble; I bit it to keep it still. I took a deep breath and blinked hard. “So, for velocity- what’s the formula again?”

Alya took my head between her hands. “Why are you not talking about this?”

I sighed. “I don’t want to, Alya. Please. Not right now, okay?” My voice was only a little shaky.

“Okay.” Alya pushed her glasses back up on her nose. “But I’m going to ask again- and you’d better be ready to talk.” She sighed. “Sometimes, Marinette, you’re your own worst enemy.”

_ You have no idea.  _ It really was mostly my fault. If I’d just been honest with Adrien- oh, who was I kidding? He’d still love that other girl, whoever she is. I’d just have been heartbroken sooner, and we’d probably be too awkward to even talk to each other after, so we wouldn’t be friends anymore.

I needed some air. “Hey, I’m going downstairs for a minute- do you want anything from the bakery?”

Alya looked up from her tablet. “Sure, if it’s okay.”

I headed down my stairs, then down again- but I didn’t turn toward the bakery door. Instead, I headed outside and down the street to an alley. I slid down against the wall, trying to breathe deeply and control myself, but it was harder this time.

Tikki phased out of my purse. “Why didn’t you tell Alya what happened?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want her to- I don’t know- do something stupid about it. She was telling Nino what not to say- it only made yesterday worse.” I knew I was being childish, and I didn’t care.

Almost by itself, my hand went to my pocket and I pulled out the beaded charm bracelet Adrien gave me for my birthday. I ran the beads through my fingers over and over, as I fought my depression. If I had to get angry at Hawkmoth for anything, it was this- that no one in the city could be sad, or frustrated, or angry, without risking becoming a supervillain. Hawkmoth didn’t even come out of his lair- except the once- to fight us face-to-face; he always found someone else to use. I had to fight this emotion, or I would become a target- and that would be a disaster.

But fighting it just made me tired. I put my head down on my knees for a second. I wished it was yesterday again, when I didn’t know I had no hope with Adrien. I wished I could actually talk to him without being an embarrassment to myself and others.

“Marinette! An akuma!” Tikki shrilled in my ear.

I leaped to my feet, dropping the charm. “Tikki, spots on!” I wished Hawkmoth would  _ leave people alone-  _ if I could catch it first-

But my luck was truly out. The akuma touched the bracelet on the ground just as I finished transforming. The purple energy I had seen on others filled my vision, and I lost all track of what was happening…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ The voice speaks to my mind. “ _ ** _Wish, I am Hawkmoth. You wished for the impossible; I will give you the power to show your enemies their deepest desire, trapping them in their impossible. But in return, you must bring me the miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Do we agree?_ ** _ ” _

_ I ponder the offer for a second. Power- yes, I can use that. But who are my enemies? I can only think of two. And I don’t need to get any miraculous for Hawkmoth. A plan forms in my mind, and I speak my own doom. _

_ “Yes, Hawkmoth.” _

_ The purple energy fills me, and I change. My new suit is all the colors of an early twilight sky, shimmering across my body. I pick the bracelet off the ground and clench it in my left fist; the beads are a deep purple-black now. _

_ I leap to the rooftops; I know where I am going. There is one place where I can find what I need easily, and it is deserted at this time. _

_ I enter the school through the girls’ bathroom. The purple butterfly energy surrounds my face as I look in the mirror. My hair is a pale blue now, my mask a different shape and color, but Wish still looks a lot like Ladybug. _

_ “ _ ** _Why are we here? You are supposed to make your enemies dream!_ ** _ ” _

_ “I’m going to,” I respond, and I begin to use my power. My eyes start to glow. _

_ I have no idea if this has a chance of working. I am trying to use the mirror to reflect my power back through the akuma-mask to Hawkmoth. He wants me to use it on my enemies, and he is a big one. If it works, he sees his fantasy become reality and is trapped in the dream. If it fails, I become entranced- and I am my own worst enemy. So I win either way. _

_ It works. I can feel the mind on the other side of the butterfly energy. I put it to sleep- although I do not start the dream yet. There is one more thing to do first. _

_ I leave the school and cross the rooftops to my otherself’s balcony. I drop in the trapdoor and jump from the bed to the room, where Alya stands ready to leave. I kick the door to the stairs shut and grab Alya’s wrist. _

_ “Now, now,” I purr quietly. “I need you to stay.” I flick the light switch, plunging the room into gloom. _

_ Alya looks angry and frightened. “Who are you?” _

_ “I think you know. You run the Ladyblog, after all.” Her eyes widen at my statement. “And I need you to do something for me.” I smile, although I do not feel any mirth; I let go of her arm. “Of course, you could refuse- but I don’t think you will.” _

_ “What do you want?” Alya’s eyes narrow, as if suspicious of me. Of course, she should be. _

_ “Why, I need you to contact Cat Noir and bring him here.” My smile widens to a feral grin. _

_ “Cat Noir? Why not Ladybug?” Alya challenges. She folds her arms across her chest. _

_ I get in Alya’s face; she shrinks away from me. “Oh, I don’t think we need to bother her, now do we? After all, she’ll come soon after the kitty, won’t she?” Our noses are almost touching as my voice hardens. “Just sit there in the corner and get his attention. He needs to come here soon.” _

_ I turn my back on Alya and pull a chair up to the vanity, sitting zazen and facing the mirror. I close my eyes to concentrate on Hawkmoth’s mind. _

_ Oh, now this is interesting. He wants the ladybug and black cat miraculous so he can bring back his wife; she is either dead or as good as, I can’t tell which. Clearly, he knows nothing about what miraculous wishes cost. Perhaps I can teach him…I begin his dream, and he battles Ladybug and Cat Noir in his mind, winning over them, destroying them… _

_ I can hear Alya on her phone, it sounds like she is speaking to Cat Noir. She is trying to be quiet, and not succeeding. I want to focus on Hawkmoth for a minute, to steer his dream. He takes the miraculous from the dead heroes in his mind and begins his wish. I freeze the dream there for the moment. _

_ “I’m not deaf, Alya. Mad, yes. But not deaf.” I feel the need to let Alya know that I am not as unaware as she thinks. The kitty-Cat can’t be far away. I hold Hawkmoth suspended in the dream; I cannot restart it until Cat Noir is here. If my plan is to succeed, I need him for the end. _

_ Alya starts recording me on her phone; the light from the camera shines through my eyelids. It’s only a minor distraction as I wait for Cat Noir to appear. This is probably boring for her; watching someone sit still with her eyes closed. _

_ I hear the soft drop onto the loft bed from the balcony. Cat Noir is here now; I don’t dare open my eyes until Hawkmoth’s dream is over. I hope Kitty can resist attacking me until I finish it. _

_ He has reached Alya now; I can hear the whispers. “Still not deaf, Alya,” I murmur, then I address Cat Noir directly. He seems inclined to listen; I tell him to wait, and restart Hawkmoth’s dream. _

_ Only now it becomes a nightmare. I don’t direct the path of the dream, so much as suggest to his mind the consequences of his choice; his mind fills in the gaps. And it is terrible; I almost feel sorry for him. _

_ Almost. _

_ When he is broken and weeping in his dream, I open my eyes and speak to him again. I explain about wishes, and prices, and consequences. I have no hope that he will even remember any of this when the akuma is defeated; I have none for myself remembering it either. But it is now time for me to end my other enemy’s suffering. _

_ “Here, kitty, kitty. Destroy the nice bracelet.” _

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ _

…I came awake all of a sudden in- my room? At least I thought it was; it was dark. Cat Noir was there, and Alya, who flipped the light on.

Cat Noir didn’t wait for my confusion to ebb. He pointed to the akuma. “No time, milady!”

Quickly I grabbed my yoyo and caught the butterfly before its escape. I turned to my partner, looking for an explanation, but between his miraculous and having to get back to Alya as Marinette, there was no time. All I got was that I- when I was a villain called  _ Wish _ \- had hurt Hawkmoth somehow, and someone else.  _ Who have I hurt? What should I do? _

I detransformed in the alley, and ran up the stairs to the apartment, where Alya was just coming down. “Marinette! You missed the whole thing!”

What? What did I miss?” I pretended not to know. “I saw an akuma out the window; I tried to see where it went, but it must’ve gotten away.”

“It got  _ Ladybug, _ girl! She was in your room, akumatized. And guess what else-“ Alya was bursting to tell. “She did something to Hawkmoth- wait-“ She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Let me show you the video…”

Three days later, and no akumas. Cat Noir found me transformed and seated on a rooftop. “Hey there; I don’t usually find you on a roof, LB,” he greeted. “Especially when there’s no akuma around. What brings you here?”

“I just didn’t want to be seen on  my roof, that’s all.” I watched as he sat down next to me. “How did you find me anyway?”

“The Ladyblog’s alert,” Cat Noir said as he showed me his cat-phone. Sure enough, there was a blurry photo of me coming to this rooftop. Great, now the whole city knew where I was. He continued, “It’s awesome for finding akumas quickly,” he grinned, and I knew a pun was coming, “or for  **spot** ting a Ladybug.” He smirked.

I facepalmed. Cat Noir’s face grew apprehensive, and he looked around for something to distract me from the sudden awkwardness. His eyes lit on the box in my hand. “Hey, what’s that?”

I sighed. “It’s a birthday present- or what’s left of it.” I opened the lid, so he could see the Cataclysm dust inside.

“You kept that?”

“Well- the boy I love gave me the bracelet for my birthday. It’s the only thing he’s ever given me, so I kind of want it back.” I didn’t miss Cat Noir’s flinch as I mentioned my crush. “But it’s…complicated.”

His face was a mask, as if he was trying to hide his feelings. His voice came out gruff. “Why? One Lucky Charm, and you have it back.”

“Two things, really. See- the reason the akuma got to me was-“ I swallowed; this was still hard-“the boy I love told me he loved someone else. I mean, he didn’t know I’d be hurt, since I’m terrible at telling him how I feel about him, so it’s not his fault.” I set the box down on the roof, and scrunched into a ball, hugging my knees. “It’s not like I haven’t overheard him calling me a friend, but I hoped-“ I shook my head. “And then there’s Hawkmoth.”

“What about him?” That sounded more like Cat Noir; curiosity was as much a part of him as it was a real cat.

“If I restore the bracelet, I reverse whatever I- whatever  _ Wish _ \- did to Hawkmoth. I’ve seen the video- I hurt him, but I also explained why he can’t have our miraculous. He could forget all that if I use my power again. He hasn’t sent an akuma since mine; he could start it all up again if he forgets.” I shrugged and spread my hands wide. “But on the other hand, what about the other person I hurt- whoever that is? Do they deserve whatever I did as Wish?”

Cat Noir had a thoughtful look as he stared at the rooftop surface. “I don’t know, milady. But I don’t think the dream Wish gave Hawkmoth will stop him forever. If he’s really determined to get back whoever he lost, he’ll start sending akumas again anyway; he’ll just tell himself that it couldn’t possibly happen like he saw.” He shrugged. “I don’t think you lose anything in the long run. Besides,” his inhuman eyes became hooded and dark, and his voice got soft, “if you gave me something, I’d want to keep it.”

I stared. “So you think I should?” I hadn’t thought he’d say that.

“Yeah.” He didn’t look at me.

“Okay.” I stood up and triggered my power. A boomerang fell into my hands.

“A boomerang?” Even Cat Noir couldn’t believe it. “What’s that for?”

I looked around. “It doesn’t really have to be for anything; I just need to throw it.” But I was still scanning for a clue, some meaning I could put to this.

Then it hit me- “It’s a message! It means that things will come back again.” I pitched the boomerang into the sky. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The boomerang spun into the sky, and broke apart into the magic ladybug energies. The burst broke in two; I stepped forward towards the edge of the roof to try and see where they would go. Maybe I could get a hint of who else I hurt if I could see where it went.

The smaller energy cloud flew towards me- or was it through me?- as it moved to restore the bracelet. The larger swirl headed for the Eiffel Tower, but didn’t split again before I lost sight of it. Maybe Hawkmoth and my other enemy were together, or at least near each other. I sighed.

I heard a gasp from behind me. Turning, I saw Cat Noir picking up the bracelet and staring at it as he crouched on the rooftop. His jaw was slightly dropped and his wide eyes weren’t blinking. What on earth could be wrong?

“Cat Noir? Are you okay?” I took a step toward him.

He looked up at me; it was as if he had never seen me before. His mouth moved, as if to say something, but no sound came out. Finally he stood, bracelet dangling from his hand. “You said- this was a gift? From the boy you love?” His kitty-eyes were filled with some emotion I couldn’t read.

I nodded in bewilderment. “Yes, it is. Cat Noir, what-“

He put his free hand on my shoulder, cutting off what I was about to ask. He stared into my eyes, and whispered, “Claws in.”

A green energy surrounded him; I quickly shut my eyes. Why would he do this- he knew we weren’t supposed to reveal our identities!

I heard him speak; his voice was soft. “Ladybug, please…look at me…”

I shook my head, eyes still firmly shut. “We aren’t supposed to know, Cat Noir! To protect ourselves! What would have happened if Wish knew who you were?”

He sighed. “It’s too late now…Marinette.”

The sound of my name froze the blood in my veins.  _ He knew. _ How could he know?!?

My earrings beeped a warning; I hadn’t noticed them. Was this the first or second spot? It didn’t matter- Cat Noir already knew who I was- but I had no time to waste. I tried to pull away, intending to leave.

“Please, milady.” Cat Noir- or whoever he was- pleaded; he still had a grip on my shoulder. “ _ I _ gave you this lucky charm- because you gave me one. I still have it, see?”

My heart hammered in my chest; I couldn’t get a breath.  _ No. It couldn’t be… _ My need to confirm who it was overwhelmed my caution. I opened my eyes.

It was…”Adrien?”

He smiled at me; he held both my bracelet and the one I had given him in his hand. “Yeah…”

I didn’t know what to say, or do…”Spots off,” I murmured, still staring at his eyes- green eyes I wanted to drown in. The pink energy flared and faded. Now it was just me…with Adrien, on a rooftop in Paris.  _ What now? _

Adrien didn’t wait for me to figure it out; he pulled me into a hug. Hesitantly, I put my arms around his waist and hugged him back. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered in my ear. “I love you, bugaboo. I’m glad it’s you.”

“So am I. I love you too, kitty,” I whispered back, blushing as I said it.

I hadn’t known I was wishing Adrien was Cat Noir- but I got my wish anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends. I hope you enjoyed this foray into the realm of 'what-IF?'. I did.
> 
> If you want to get all meta about it (did she REALLY use her power on Hawkmoth, or was that her own dream?)...I'm a writer, Jim, not a philosopher. 
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> Thanks again to Lyss for the prompt. Talking in chat has sparked some interesting fic ideas; I appreciate it a lot. There's another one, 'Two Faced', which Karma helped with; I'll post it when its out of beta.
> 
> As always, please comment. I really enjoy your reactions to what I present.

**Author's Note:**

> Voice chat transcription (or as near as I remember):
> 
> L: Ooh! What if Hawkdaddy akumatized Ladybug and got his wish?  
M: Probably the worst thing that could happen to that man. (beat) Let me find a pen...
> 
> (shameless plug: You should check out Lyss and Siebee on YouTube for their Miraculous reaction videos!)
> 
> Anyway, this was the start. Then it grew another chapter, and it still wasn't finished, so it grew a third. I really hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Thoughts/ comments/ opinions/ brainfarts are welcome.


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